


Rewrite the Story

by TheVelvetStorian



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Barnum is CLUELESS, Basically the TGS movie but not, Because it's gayer, Boys Kissing, Frottage, I'm Bad At Tagging, Internalized Homophobia, Literally only in passing, M/M, Smut, Some Romance, Some Self-Depreciation, Some angst, Sometimes this gets kinda cheesy, very brief mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 06:24:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14743635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVelvetStorian/pseuds/TheVelvetStorian
Summary: What if we rewrite the story? (I'm sorry, I had to)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So the general course of events in this is the same as in the movie, but we just made everything much gayer. This was developed from a roleplay which is why the formatting is so weird, but I think I fixed it into fic form well enough. A huge shoutout to my co-author and friend who roleplayed/wrote Phillip, Hammy/Samuel <3\. Also, we're both really big Hamilton fans, so there WILL be Hamilton references thrown in here XD

Phillip Carlyle leaned against the wall and watched as many people in fancy dress, glasses of champagne in hand, walked around the room, seeming for some reason to have been quite entertained by the last show he had just put on. Although deep in thought, Phillip's mind was soon brought back to reality as he was greeted by a couple to congratulate him and hand him a drink. Phillip didn't want to be rude, however he simply thanked them and tried to go back to his thoughts. Not seeming to take the hint, they continued to speak as though they knew he was interested and listening. He just let them talk, sipping from his glass at times, or nodding his head as if agreeing out of politeness. Who knows what could have happened if Phillip's mother and father found that he didn't find any of this glamour and riches to be filled with excitement or need. What Phillip wanted? Difference, something that wasn't in the norm, maybe even something crazy. Not that he would admit this, however. He didn't need to be disgraced or disowned. 

As Phineas T. Barnum headed toward the theater the same night after Caroline's recital, he searched for the young face he had seen earlier in the evening as he and his family left. He was confident in his plan as he finally spotted the man and approached him. "Mr. Carlyle," he began in a firm voice to get his attention.

Phillip was pulled out of his thoughts once again to hear the voice of the one and only P.T. Barnum, the talk of the town, the keeper of what his parents had called the circus of freaks. Phillip had heard much of Barnum, and his line of work. Although it was something he would never tell his mother or father, Phillip had secretly admired the showman for his bravery and curiosity. No one else had ideas such as he, nor the audacity to even try to create what Barnum had. As much as Phillip would have loved to join the other's circus, he was too high class to even bother with it. Being polite, Phillip set his drink down and turned his attention to the taller man. "Good evening, Mr. Barnum. Did you enjoy the recital?"

Phineas flashed a charming smile, figuring that charm was the only way his plan would succeed. "I did indeed, my daughter is quite a beautiful dancer." He said proudly. Holding out his hand to shake, he asked, "So it seems you've heard of me, and most likely my circus, as well. Ever been?"

Phillip would have been lying if he said he didn't feel anything from Barnum's smile, a feeling that was strange and unknown to him. Mentally shrugging it off, he watched Barnum offer his hand for Phillip to take. Once again out of his politeness, Phillip took Barnum's hand. "I have not, nor do I plan to." Although his bluntness was rough, it was true. His parents would have possibly disgraced him for even going near the circus, much to Phillip's dismay.

Phineas' smile remained, although the slightest hint of worry crept in that this would be harder than he had anticipated. "I see," he paused. "Can I buy you a drink?" He attempted to steer the conversation back to a friendlier and lighter tone, again hoping that charm would do the trick.

Phillip nodded his head, seeing no problem having a drink or two with someone much like himself, a worker in the field of entertainment. "That would be nice." Phillip couldn't help but return Barnum's flattering smile, feeling much more at ease instead of uptight.

Phineas was pleased to see that he visibly relaxed into the smile he wore. He hoped that that meant he was making progress and that maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get the young man on board. He caught them a ride to a bar that he knew well and knew would be beginning to empty right about this time. As they entered, Phineas greeted the bartender and hung up his hat and coat.

Phillip followed behind Barnum into the bar, hanging up his hat and coat as well. Running a hand through his hair, Phillip walked over to one of the stools by the counter and took a seat. He ordered and bought himself a shot of whiskey, although knowing it was Barnum who was to pay.

Phineas took the stool next to him and ordered the same for himself. He didn't begin to speak until after they had both taken their first shots. "I'm sure you've seen how well my show has been doing. The only group I can't seem to appeal to is the high class, yourself being the perfect example. I don't have any experience in that area, which is why I have a business proposition for you."

Phillip looked over to Barnum, raising one of his eyebrows at the word 'proposition'. What was Barnum planning to offer to Phillip that was so important to drag him away from his own party, to a bar which he might have only been to once or twice? "What's the proposal, Mr. Barnum?" Phillip questioned, truly curious about what Barnum could have been thinking.

Phineas looked at him seriously. "Come join the circus." He nodded to the bartender to pour them each another shot. "You obviously have a flair for show business," he pointed out as subtly persuasively as he could. "Teach me how to appeal to the high brows!" He downed his shot.

Phillip bought and took another shot, looking away as his eyes widened slightly at Barnum's request. Was he being serious? Joining the circus which Phillip's parents despised? Phillip thought for a moment that Barnum must've been joking. Keeping his hand on his small glass, he shook his head and looked back to Barnum. "No, I can't just run off and join the circus."

Phineas sighed, getting down to business. "Alright, right here and now I'll give you my offer. I know you see it, freedom lies with me! Trade your typical, boring routine for something a little colorful, a little crazy. Live a little crazy! You could stay sensible, or you could risk it all and see." He gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Don't you want to get away from all of that? The circus is what you need, come join me and see the other side! You can living live like that, or you can live like us. Break free of that suffocating cage!" As he got more excited, his smile glowed and his whole demeanor radiated the intoxicating, joyous, free feeling that he brought to his circus performances.

Phillip rolled his blue eyes at Barnum's playful childishness, however enjoying it as well. He couldn't help but feel the temptation to actually accept Barnum's offer, whisk him away from all the aristocratic parties, and join the circus to aid Barnum. However, wanting to keep his family's legacy, Phillip stood from his stool and shook his head. "Okay, I get you want to cut me in, but I hate to tell you that it won't happen. So thank you, but no. I think I'm fine. I actually enjoy this “suffocating cage” of a life, as you so eloquently put it. Now don't get me wrong, I do admire you and your show. You're onto something I tell you, really something..." Phillip continued on with a sarcastic edge, heading to the entrance of the bar. "But I live among the swells, the people you want to appease. And, that kind of thing just isn't accepted. I'll have to leave that life to you.” Phillip stopped Barnum before he could argue as he opened his mouth. “Can’t you see that I'm okay? This uptown part I play is enough for me, and I don't need to see the other side. So, you can keep that life, and I'll keep mine. I'm not in a cage, and I don't need to be free; I'm doing just fine.”

As much as Phineas had tried to keep his tone and stance polite and charming, he looked at Phillip with a frustrated and disbelieving look. "Is this really how you like to spend your days? Parties and plays and drowning your misery in whiskey?" He remained seated and stared him down with an intense gaze.

Phillip scoffed as he took his coat and hat, looking over to the other as he realized Barnum could tell Phillip wasn't happy where he was in his life, secretly being the complete opposite of his parents. However, Phillip continued to deny his true colors, not wanting to be treated as if he wasn't needed. "If I got mixed up with you, I'd be the talk of the town... Disgraced, as well as disowned. Another one of the clowns..." He sighed, taking his gaze somewhere other than Barnum himself, turning around as well as putting on his top hat.

"But you would finally live a little!" His tone was imploring. "Finally laugh a little...just let me give you a chance at that freedom. I promise, it will wake you up and cure your aching, take down your walls. Now that's a deal that seems worth taking!" His voice was smooth and persuasive, and the look he fixed the other with, even though he wasn't facing towards him to see it, was enticing and just the slightest bit smug. "But I guess I'll leave that up to you." He grabbed his shot glass on the bar as it was filled for him again, and waited, inwardly pleading that it would work, and outwardly smug as if it already had.

For reasons unknown to even Phillip himself, the last few sentences stopped him from leaving. Stopped him from making a decision he might have regretted in the future. Phillip thought for a moment, about his parents, about his fame and popularity. What would that have meant for him, doing something that didn't make him happy? Feeling a smile start to form on his face, Phillip turned on his heel to look back to Barnum. "Well, it's quite intriguing. But to go, well, that's going to cost me greatly. So what percentage of the show will I be taking?"

Phineas's smile broadened, but he kept a cool air. "Fair enough, you want a piece of all the action. I'd give you seven percent, we can shake on it and make it happen right now." He offered his hand as the bartender began pouring them another round of shots.

Phillip's smile had faltered as he heard what Barnum was willing offer him. Seven: a measly, small number to Phillip. He wanted more, he didn't plan on working for such a short amount. "I wasn't born this morning,” he said rather snippily, “eighteen would be just fine." He went much higher, a small part of him knowing Barnum wouldn't agree to the higher number.

Phineas chuckled derisively. "Why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime?"

And the small part of Phillip had been correct, Barnum wouldn't want to give Phillip too much. With a sigh, Phillip continued to ignore Barnum's outstretched hand as he stood his ground. "Fifteen."

Getting more comfortable in the negotiation equaled getting cockier for Phineas. He narrowed his eyes a bit. "I'd do eight." He suggested thoughtfully.

Phillip had to bite his lip, nearly letting out a growl of irritation as he folded his arms over his chest, despising the fact that he would have to go even lower. "Twelve." He relented through clenched teeth.

"Maybe nine." and he put an emphasis on 'maybe'. He grinned at Phillip's obvious annoyance, amused, and crossed his own arms. Since they had each been moving slightly closer with each offer, he realized that they now stood less than a foot apart. But that didn't cause him to back down.

Phillip had decided to finalize a number. If Phillip didn't get this, he wouldn't be in the circus. He let his gaze harden as he stared up at Barnum, unfolding his arms as he moved a bit closer. "Ten."

Phineas paused to consider this. It sounded fair to him, a nice round number. And not too big a sacrifice, either. He turned his face down to catch Phillip's eye, still not backing down despite the lack of personal space between them, and flashed a dazzling, excited grin. "Deal."

Phillip felt relief wash over him as he heard that Barnum would agree with his final offer, he deciding to return with the same excited and charming smile. "It will be fun working with you, Mr. Barnum." Phillip finally took his hand out, although not having much space to do so.

Phineas took his hand and shook it once, then he paused before he let it go. Once he had, he grabbed the two closes shots the bartender had poured them while they negotiated and handed one to Phillip.

Phillip gave a nod of thanks as he took the glass from Barnum, holding it up. "To a new partnership?"

Phineas nodded and downed his before Phillip could notice that his own shot was substantially more than the elder's, just as all of the others had been. Charm and alcohol, all you need to persuade someone to completely change the course of their life. He chuckled to himself at the thought as he grabbed the next two shots.

Phillip had felt a buzz coming on, whether it was from the alcohol or from the excitement of changing his life for, he believed, the better. He continued taking shots with Barnum, unaware of how intoxicated he was beginning to become.

The bartender continued to pour them shots, each of Phin's being half the size of Phillip's. which he had not intended to be the case. Now that he had achieved his goal, however, he saw nothing wrong with celebrating a little. He couldn't help but smile in fond amusement at the giggly-drunk state of his new business partner.

Phillip had to sit down, the only way of keeping his balance was to do so. He would hiccup from time to time, or giggle at nothing as he took his shots. "You know..." Phillip downed a shot, not able to control his tongue as he looked up at Barnum. The taller regarded him warily, his face demonstrating his thoughts: ‘Nothing good ever follows “You know,” when one is drunk…’  
"Ever since I saw you, I've felt something I probably shouldn't have. Well, who could really blame me? You're a very handsome man." Phillip shrugged his shoulders, going to take another shot.

Phineas blinked, however not letting his expression betray his surprise. He held up a hand to stop the bartender from pouring them any more and sat down on the stool next to Phillip's. He was fairly buzzed himself, but not quite enough to have dulled all of his inhibitions. "Is that so?" He asked, burning with sudden curiosity. He leaned on the bar and faced the younger man without moving to take the last shot that had been poured for him.

Phillip nodded his head, giving Barnum a goofy smile as he looked down to his drink before taking it. "Yeah, of course. And not only that, you have one of the best personalities of mankind. Positive, fun, sweet, accepting, I could go on, and on, and on." Phillip giggled drunkenly, downing the whiskey.

Phineas cleared his throat, feeling his face heat. It worsened when he caught the bartender's eye and saw the strange look he was giving them. "I think that's enough whiskey," he said decisively, sliding the rest of the empty glasses and last partially full glass away from him. He stood carefully so that he wouldn't lose his footing, and attempted to stand Phillip up.

Phillip whined, shaking his head. "But Mr. Barnum! I wasn't finished!" He acted as if he was a small child that didn't get what he wanted, quite bratty and intransigent. Phillip let the other help him, however soon pulling himself away. "I can walk myself." With a slight slur in his words, Phillip turned and stumbled outside as he weakly grabbed his things from the rack.

Phineas of course didn't believe this at all, and he rushed after him, grabbing his coat and hat on his way out the door. "Mr. Carlyle, wait!" He called, stopping his partner before he stumbled into the street. "You're in no shape to be left alone. And I highly doubt your family would appreciate it if I returned you home this intoxicated...do you have a girlfriend or someone I can drop you off with?" He asked gently, a hand on Phillip's shoulder to steady him, hoping that he would receive an answer he could make sense of.

Phillip rolled his eyes, looking over to Barnum as he shook his head. "I'm more into men, and I can walk myself home." Phillip didn't realize what he had just admitted, homosexuality definitely being something that wasn't common nor accepted in their society's day in age. Shrugging Barnum's hand off, he continued forward.

Phineas hid his shock well, although it was admittedly quite difficult, and grabbed Phillip by the back of the coat to pull him back. He shook his head. "I can't just let you wander the streets like this." He stopped to think, then made a decision. "I'm taking you back to my house, you can sleep it off in one of my guest rooms. Come on," he insisted gently, as if speaking to a child, leaning down a bit to sling one of Phillip's arms over his shoulders and support him and keep him steady.

Phillip was going to whine more, however he stopped and nodded as he heard the way Barnum spoke to him. Phillip flushed at the close contact, only staying silent as he let Barnum take him to his home.

After walking as far as the edge of the main city, Phineas got the both of them on a train to the country and his house. He took Phillip's hand and carefully helped him up the step into the car, which was empty at this time of night, practically lifting him part of the way. Then he stepped in and sat next to Phillip, making sure that he was alright as the door closed and the train started off.

Phillip looked from the window, over to Barnum. "Hey, Mr. Barnum?" Not waiting for an answer, Phillip couldn't control his actions any longer. Swiftly taking Barnum's hand, Phillip leaned up and kissed him softly.

Phineas froze in shock and stared at him, suddenly having to use all his will power to resist an inexplicable urge to kiss back. Rather than the logical answer he expected his brain to give him, the fact that this was very very wrong and that he had a wife, the thought that kept him from kissing back was that, 'Phillip is drunk and doesn't know what he's doing, if you take advantage of him he'll surely hate you forever, not to mention the guilt you'll have to live with.' Once he overcame the initial shock, he gently placed his hands on Phillip's upper arms and moved him back. The only thing he could think to say was, "Uh, thank you..." and he wondered how this attractive young aristocrat had managed to completely kill his confidence and leave him an awkward mess. He leaned Phillip against his side without another word and brushed his hair back from his forehead, just trying to keep him happy, still and quiet until he could sleep off the alcohol and would realize what he was doing.

Phillip could feel himself starting to slip away, sleep becoming the main thing he wanted to do. Slowly closing his eyes, he let his body give out and fall asleep. What Phillip didn't know then was that in the morning he would have one of the worst hangovers in his life, and likely wouldn’t remember any of his actions or words.

Once they had reached the Barnum estate, Phineas very carefully lifted Phillip out and carried him inside. He took him to one of the guest rooms quietly and laid him down, taking off his shoes and his coat and leaving them in the room with him. He pulled the covers up over him and smiled softly at how peaceful he looked. Then he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

~<><><>~

Early the next morning, before anyone else had woken up, Phillip stirred, sitting up as shoots of pain immediately went to his head. He groaned slightly, rubbing his forehead as he tried to recall the events of the evening prior. The only thing Phillip could remember was meeting P.T. Barnum and joining his circus. Shaking his head, Phillip stood up and started to realize he wasn't at his own home. "Where am I...?" He asked himself, hesitantly deciding to leave the room as he continued to feel pain from the alcohol.

Phineas was up early as well, hoping that Phillip would be up before Charity and the girls. Otherwise it would turn out a very awkward and difficult-to-explain situation. The smell of the coffee he was brewing filled the house.

Phillip sniffed, smelling the familiar scent. Following it, he made his way around until he stopped to see Barnum. He gave him a look of confusion, before calling out to him tiredly and scratching the back of his neck. "Mr Barnum...? Where am I, and what on earth happened last night?"

Phineas looked up and smiled. "Morning, sunshine." He teased. "Coffee?" He slid a cup towards Phillip, leaning on the counter.

Phillip could feel his face heat up at the nickname, even though it was used jokingly, however letting himself ignore it and walk over to grab the cup of coffee. "Thank you..." He sipped it, feeling slightly more relaxed. "Now, where am I? And what happened?" Phillip asked once more, truly confused.

"My place. You had a few too many shots last night and could barely walk." He sipped his coffee, watching Phillip carefully as he said the next part. "Your legs didn't seem to want to work, but your mouth sure did." He paused, wondering which possible meaning for that Phillip would decide to take, before he added, "I couldn't shut you up," speaking into his coffee as he tipped the mug up once again.

Phillip groaned, turning away as he shook his head. "I let myself get drunk? Great...wonderful job, Phillip Carlyle, you're just swell. What was I saying?" He let himself ask with a heavy sigh, figuring he only spouted off nonsense and things Barnum probably wouldn't have able to made sense of.

Phineas held the coffee mug to his mouth, hesitating. He had no idea how Phillip would take it. Rather than answering, he set down the mug and stood up straighter, getting out another cup. "I know a great hangover cure, always helps." He tried to change the subject.

Phillip paused for a moment, curious as to why Barnum would have wanted to change the subject so quickly. He raised an eyebrow, not planning on letting this go just yet. "Mr. Barnum, what was I saying?" Phillip made his tone a bit firmer, making it clear he was being serious now. What could he have said that was so bad?

Phineas busied himself putting together the hangover cure, and didn't even turn to face Phillip until he was sliding the glass toward him. He leaned over the counter toward Phillip. "What are your thoughts on me, Mr. Carlyle? What you really think of me." His tone was knowing, and he forced himself to look Phillip directly in the eye, a bit closer than what would be standard.

Phillip's face once again started to turn a shade of red, slowly taking the drink as he thought of what he should say to answer Barnum's question. "W-Well...I think you're an amazing showman who knows how to make a person smile." He kept his answer quaint, short, and to the point, not wanting to give Barnum the full answer as he looked away and took a quick sip of his hangover cure.

"Really?" His tone was one of interest rather than skepticism, and he didn't look away, his intense dark blue gaze boring into Phillip. After another moment he leaned back, but his eyes still didn't leave the younger man's face. He paused, studying him. "You're awfully flushed, Mr. Carlyle. Perhaps you should sit and rest." His tone and expression were unreadable.

Phillip quickly shook his head and his blush worsened slightly, regretting how easy it was to see the change of color in his face. "I-I'm fine, you know, I should probably get going, my parents are probably very upset, I haven't talked to them in a while so I should just..." Phillip spoke in a fast manner, still not able to look Barnum directly in the eyes as he started to make his way to the front door.

"Don't forget your shoes, Mr. Carlyle." Phineas chuckled slightly and pointed up, referring to his guest room upstairs where his shoes, coat and hat still were. "I'll get them for you, if you'll wait here." He offered.

"No, no, no. I-I got it." Phillip quickly made his way up the stairs to grab his things, coming back down as he fixed up his jacket and set his hat on his head. "Well, thank you for giving me a place to stay when I needed it, and helping me with my hangover, Mr. Barnum." Phillip tried to forget about the few events prior to him going upstairs, smiling up at Barnum with something like nervousness on his face.

Phineas nodded and smiled back down at him. "Of course. Why don't you meet me at the circus later and I'll give you a tour, introduce you to everyone?"

Phillip nodded his head, agreeing with the plan to meet up. "Sounds great, see you soon, then, Mr. Barnum." With a wave, Phillip turned around and finally walked out of the house, going to head to his own for a bit before he would head to Barnum's circus building.

~<><><>~

Phineas was late, unintentionally leaving Phillip standing there outside the building for longer than he had planned. When he finally arrived, all traces of his strange demeanor from that morning were gone, and he was back to his usual charming, grandiose self. "Mr. Carlyle!" He called out and waved as he approached. "So sorry I'm late. A tour?" He held the door open for Phillip.

Phillip simply shrugged about the fact of Barnum being late, nodding as he walked into the building. Being the first time Phillip had ever seen the inside, he smiled and looked around with wonder and amazement, a smile forming on the young man's face.

"This way," Phineas said, seeing the smile and wonder on his face and smiling too because of it. He led him backstage, where performers were all around practicing their acts and making for a complicated maze to navigate. Phin grabbed Phillip firmly but gently by the arm to lead him through. After bringing him up a short flight of stairs, they walked through a curtain and onto a raised seating balcony where the whole performing arena could be seen from above. It was eye-level with the trapeze, where Anne and WD were practicing.

Phillip let himself be dragged around, looking around at all the different, unique acts in front of him. Once upstairs, Phillip watched the two trapeze artists practice, trying to hide his smile from seeing everything.

The female trapeze artist caught the bar and swung in their direction, all the way up until she was more or less face to face with Phillip. She caught his eye in the quick moment that she hung there, before the trapeze swung her all the way back. Phineas watched, scowling at himself and the strange pang of jealousy that came out of nowhere.

Phillip knew a smile was forming in his face as he locked eyes with the female of the pair, although for a brief second, he felt more at ease. Phillip continued on watching, unaware of the ruffled up Barnum next to him.

Forcing down his scowl and replacing it with his original smile, although a little less genuine, he spoke up. "Come on, I'll introduce you." His words were just the slightest bit clipped, and he hardly waited for Phillip to follow as he went back down the stairs to catch Anne and WD on their way back. He told himself that he wasn't acting unusual, not at all. 'What have I to be jealous of, anyway?' He scoffed quietly at himself.

Phillip shook his head, Barnum pulling him out of his slight daze to introduce him to the two trapeze artists. He followed behind Barnum, curious as to why he had a slight and sudden change of attitude. Ignoring it, however, Phillip thought about what he should say to leave a good impression of himself.

"WD, Anne!" Phin called them over just as they came back from the performing arena. "I'd like to introduce you to my newest hire, Phillip Carlyle." The smallest note of pride slipped its way into his tone as he introduced them. WD held his hand out to shake with Phillip. "And what is your act, Mr. Carlyle?" Anne asked him coolly.

Phillip looked between the two, taking WD's hand as he laughed with a slight nervousness. He looked over to Anne, giving her a smile. "O-Oh, I don't have an act..." It was true, Phillip didn't have a part to play in the show. However, he was Barnum's right hand man, one could say.

"Everyone's got an act." She said and smiled softly at him, walking past him and brushing his shoulder apparently on purpose as she did. Phineas resisted the urge to growl aloud, and he looked away. He noticed that WD was eyeing Phillip suspiciously, and a small part of Phin hoped that WD's protectiveness of his sister would keep anything from happening. Not that he cared if anything happened between Phillip and Anne, of course. He had no reason to care.

Phillip looked behind him, watching as Anne left them. With a smile, he looked back to match WD and his narrowed eyes. Quickly straightening up, Phillip cleared his throat and looked over to Barnum. "Anyone else I should meet?" He asked, trying to forget about the noticeable tension that had formed in the room.

"Yes, of course. This way," he led Phillip around, introducing him to all of the performers. By the time everyone had been introduced, it was evening and time for the performers to start getting ready for the show. Phineas left Phillip alone backstage with the performers while he went to get dressed.

Phillip met and spoke with each performer, knowing he was going to fit into the new crowd just fine. Realizing a show was about to start, he idled nervously, wondering if he should be doing something to prepare; he secretly wanted to please Barnum.

Within no time Phineas was back and directing performers in preparation as the crowds began to fill up the seating. He gathered everyone together for his usual short pep talk before every show, already feeling the adrenaline start to affect him. For Phineas, performing was his drug. The lights and excitement and organized chaos of being up there, and the reward of the people's happiness, was intoxicating. The only time he ever truly felt like himself was in the center of that stage. He poured all of this energy into encouraging the performers as the sound of excited voices from the arena increased.

Phillip walked around for a bit, soon realizing he didn't have any idea what he should be doing. Becoming extremely nervous, Phillip tried his best to maintain his cool as he made his way over to Barnum and the rest of the circus. He listened to Barnum, although still not able to feel at ease. He could feel his heart pounding, starting to think of all the negatives of what could possibly happen to the show if he did something wrong and messed it up, the possibilities were endless and none of the outcomes good.

After he finished his pep talk and all of the performers were ready, he caught Phillip's eye and came over to him. He put a hand on the other's shoulder and had to lean in and speak directly into his ear to be heard over all of the noise. "For your first show, I think you should watch and get a feel for things. The best view on such short notice is from the entrance to the arena." He leaned back to see Phillip's face and waited for confirmation, not removing his hand.

It took all Phillip's might not to shudder from Barnum's tone of voice, his face starting to dust a light pink as he stared up at him and nodded his head. "Y-Yes, of course, sir..." Phillip mentally cursed himself for stuttering, however feeling much more at ease that he wouldn't have to do anything more just yet, while he was unprepared.

Phineas smiled warmly and nodded, and then looked up as he was called over by one of the performers. It was time for the show to begin, and all of the lights dimmed. Phin and the performers took their places, and he glanced over at Phillip standing in the entrance once more before the performance began. 

Phillip took a minute to recollect himself and regain his coolness, shaking his head as he tried to forget about the interaction and mentally followed Barnum's instructions to watch the show with a good view. Phillip wasn't sure how to feel as Barnum did things like that, liking the new emotion yet hating it at the same time. It was something unfamiliar to him, and he wasn't a big fan of change.

The performance began, and Phineas gazed out at the crowd as he sang the first line. "Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for." On his next line, his eyes strayed in Phillip's direction. "Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor." His eyes remained locked on Phillip as he continued. "And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore, taking your breath, stealing your mind, and all that was real is left behind." He and the rest of the performers started moving, implementing their obviously well practiced choreography, but Phin's gaze never left his young partner. It burned into him with a new kind of fire, one that Phineas reserved for the circus. "Don't fight it, it's comin' for ya, runnin' at ya. It's only this moment, don't care what comes after! Your fever dream, can't you feel it getting closer? Just surrender 'cause you feel the feelin' takin' over!" The tone with which he sang it and the way he looked at Phillip while he did so gave the words a much more intense feeling, and the meaning behind them seemed to be something entirely more...sinful, to say the least. "It's fire, it's freedom, it's flooding open." Phineas's guard had been taken down completely, and in that moment he didn't care what anyone thought. Through the song he poured out the most forbidden truths he possessed, and for the moment they were all directed at the handsome young playwright across the arena from him. "It's a preacher in the pulpit and you'll find devotion. There's something breaking at the brick of every wall, it's holding all that you know," he turned so that he was facing towards Phillip, singing it loud but at the same time speaking directly and only to him. "So tell me, do you wanna go?~"

Phillip watched in awe and disbelief as Barnum sang the lyrics to the tune he had heard outside the circus building many times. However, in that moment to Phillip, the song meant more than just simple boasting about the circus show. He kept his eyes locked with Barnum's for a while, needing to look away as the other's intensified. What did those words mean to Barnum? What message was he trying to convey to the younger man? Phillip continued to listen, however he would not able to look back out for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying so far, there will be more chapters posted eventually but I can't make any promises as to when. Kudos and comments are always welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some smut (kind of; this will not be the full extent I promise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this is my first time posting smut. Is it supposed to feel this satisfyingly guilt-inducing? Eh, whatever. Don't judge me too harshly XD

It was finally the end of the show. As the performers struck their final pose and drew out the last "this is the greatest show", Phineas smiled out at the crowd, utterly exhilarated. The spotlights cut, the performers began to head backstage, and Phin went to the main entrance to thank people for coming. The performers passed by Phillip through the arena entrance leading backstage, and Anne smiled at him as she passed. They talked and laughed, all still buzzing with excitement and out of breath. As the last circus-goers left, Phineas headed back to greet Phillip. He himself was still slightly out of breath, sweat dampened hair sweeping across his brow and energy still lighting up his eyes. As he approached, however, the smile he regarded the younger with was much heavier than any way he'd ever looked at him before. The warmth and adrenaline still coursed through his veins, and likely wouldn't leave him completely until tomorrow.

Phillip watched as the show ended, and the performers all came to the backstage area. As Anne smiled at Phillip, he smiled back as he headed down as well. Phillip sighed, still trying to figure out what Barnum had tried to tell him through the song. He finally looked over to see Barnum, his smile causing Phillip's face to heat up.

The performers arranged a small, impromptu party to celebrate how well the show went, for no real reason other than for the fun of it. For the duration of it, Phineas stood almost unusually close to Phillip, close enough that they would bump elbows or arms any time one of them moved. It was obvious that the adrenaline and energy of the show was still greatly affecting him, lowering his inhibitions more than any alcohol could. He didn't speak to him much, but watched him closely any time he thought Phillip wasn't looking. Much later in the night, Phin suddenly spoke up during a pause in their conversation with Anne and WD. "Phillip, may I have a word?"

Phillip had enjoyed himself at the party, talking with others and having fun. He noticed the closeness of Barnum, though he tried to ignore it for most of the night. Once a pause came into the conversation, Phillip looked over to Barnum as he heard his name. "Sure, lead the way." Phillip gave him a smile, curious as to what Barnum wanted to speak with him about.

Phineas led him back out to the performing arena, and once the heavy curtain had fallen back into place it blocked out a great deal of the sound from the party. He started walking slowly along the outside edge of the arena, gesturing for Phillip to follow him. He was silent for a moment, not immediately getting to the point.

As Phillip followed behind Barnum and was led away from the party, his curiosity and confusion continued to grow. What could Barnum want to talk with him that they had to get away from the party? Phillip continued to follow, however.

"The other night," he began calmly, "do you really not remember a bit of it?"

Hearing about the night when he became embarrassingly drunk, Phillip shook his head as he really couldn't recall a single thing. "No, Mr. Barnum, may I ask why you want to bring it up?"

"I wanted to address something you said, or rather, something you did." He glanced at Phillip with the same intense look he had given him right after the show.

Phillip saw the intensity in Barnum's eyes, unable to maintain eye contact as he cleared his throat. "And, what did I do?" He asked with a slight nervousness that he did something wrong.

Rather than answering that question like he had meant, he have the simpler-to-explain answer. "You tried to walk home on your own. Of course I couldn't let you, so I asked if there was somewhere I could take you. A girlfriend's house, perhaps."

"Oh, I don't have a girlfriend." Phillip shook his head, not fully saying that he was more into the opposite gender.

"Oh, yes, I know that. Nor do you have any plans to, going off of what you told me." He hoped that that would be just subtle enough for him to understand.

"What do you mean by that?" Phillip tilted his head to the side, clearly showing his confusion from the statement.

Phineas abruptly stopped and turned to face the other, looking at him seriously. "You told me the full truth. I know of your romantic...preference, and I'll tell you now that I'm not judging you for it.” He took a small step closer. The air with which he said it was casual and informative.

Phillip's eyes widened slightly, realizing he let his sexuality slip out in his drunk endeavor. Although glad that he would not be judged, he couldn't help but wonder what Barnum’s true purpose for all of this was. "O-oh..." Phillip cleared his throat as his face turned a bit red, not moving away as Barnum came closer.

"Do you know, that you also voiced what I assume are your true opinions of me?" He took another small step closer.

"I-I did...?" Phillip continued to wonder what else he could have said and done while drunk, as if he gave out his secrets every single time he would become intoxicated.

Phineas nodded. "I got us a ride back to my house, so you could sleep it off. And do you know what you did during that ride?" He asked it mostly rhetorically, just as a pause for effect. He was a showman, after all. He took yet another step closer, and was mere inches from Phillip, looking down at him.

Phillip could feel his heart pounding in his chest, nervous to ask what he had done as Barnum was only a small ways away. "W-What did I do, Mr. Barnum?" He bit his lip, looking to the side as he awaited an answer.

Phineas took one more small step forward, and their chests touched. He stared, straight into Phillip's soul, but not unkindly, and waited for him to look back at him.

Phillip tensed up slightly, feeling Barnum's body on his own. Hesitantly, he glanced up to the taller male.

They were so close that their noses were almost touching. By way of answering Phillip’s question, Phineas leaned in painfully slowly, his own heart racing as well. He kept waiting to realize what he was doing and for the irresistible draw of the younger man's face to subside, but the truth was that he knew exactly what he was doing. And he couldn't give less of a shit about the consequences. Less than an inch apart; he could taste Phillip's breath by this point, he froze. Whatever happened next would be entirely up to Phillip.

Phillip tried to fight the urge to lean in, close the small gap between the two men and- Phillip couldn't hold himself back any longer. Although knowing there was a major possibility of actions leading to serious consequences, Phillip couldn't stop himself from, slowly might I add, brushing his lips against Barnum's as to give him the permission to fully kiss him.

Once he had that confirmation, Phineas couldn't have been stopped by any force of nature out there. As if drawn by an invisible thread, his mouth was suddenly on Phillip's with no break between, kissing him feverishly. He grabbed the lapels of Phillip's jacket tightly, pulling him closer.

Phillip quickly kissed Barnum back, his face giving off a heat as he let his arms move around the taller man's neck.

In Phin's mind, nothing existed beyond that moment and the feeling of Phillip's mouth on his. It all faded away, and not even the need to breathe was going to stop him now. It could have been minutes or hours that they stood there like that, he had no idea. He had to pull away once his lungs began to burn, but he stayed close enough for their lips to brush as he gasped for air.

Phillip was breathing with a slight heaviness, regaining air as he looked to his feet. He could not believe that P.T. Barnum, a man who had a wife as well as children, a man in general, had just kissed him. Phillip was unsure of how to feel at this point, should he have leaned in for another kiss? Pulled away and hoped it wouldn't have happened again? He just stood there, still stuck in his mind of decisions.

The faint sound of laughter reached them from backstage, quieted by the heavy curtains blocking the entry way, and Phineas glanced briefly in that direction. Then he looked back down to Phillip, pausing only a moment before he leaned back down and their lips met again. This time, he started off much gentler and quickly reached the heat of the first kiss once again.

Phillip followed Barnum's lead, forgetting about all the troubles these brief decisions would probably soon give them. He kissed back the second time just like Barnum, feeling the passion grow just as big as the first.

Phineas backed Phillip up a couple of steps, his hands moving from the lapels to rest on Phillip's waist. He nibbled at Phillip's lip and ran his tongue over it, slow but hot.

Phillip had to hold back a smirk, knowing what Barnum was trying to get him to do. Letting out a few chuckles, Phillip continued to keep his mouth shut as a way to play hard to get and to tease Barnum. He wanted it as much as Phineas did, but that didn't mean he was going to make it easy for him.

Phineas was onto him, but he didn't react. He bit Phillip's lip a little harder, then slowly licked over the faint red mark that was left.

Phillip could feel his face heat up as he continued to keep his mouth shut, ignoring the slight pain he had felt from the bite left by Barnum. In the back of Phillip's mind, he knew all of this was wrong. He should have pushed Barnum away, told him it was wrong, and they shouldn't be there in the first place. However, Phillip was too swept up in the moment to give a damn.

Phineas separated their lips without moving back at all, speaking practically right against Phillip's mouth. "Are you doing that on purpose?" It was almost a growl, his voice lower and rougher than usual. He pressed into Phillip just the slightest, holding the other firmly against him.

Phillip was mildly surprised by Barnum's new and different tone of voice, however smirking at him and shrugging his shoulders as he kept his composure and continued to be a tease. "So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?" He challenged, doubting Barnum would have done anything else.

Phineas smirked back. "What AM I going to do about it?" He asked himself aloud, thinking. He studied Phillip for a short moment before he seemingly made a decision. He threaded one hand into Phillip's hair and tilted his head back to expose his neck. Then he leaned down and started to suck a large, dark, surely long-lasting mark on his neck, purposefully choosing a location that would be obvious and difficult to conceal.

Phillip's eyes widened in shock, gasping softly, his mouth falling agape as Barnum kissed his neck in a rough manner. Phillip forgot to close his mouth, his mind pacing quickly to figure out how he would be able to conceal something as open as what Barnum will leave.

Phineas made a point of leaving the mark as large and dark as he could make it. Once he was satisfied, he left small nips all down the rest of Phillip's neck. He licked over them in a stripe back up to his jaw, then resumed kissing him passionately.

Phillip slowly started to return the kiss, not even bothering to close his mouth so Barnum couldn't have done anything. However, Phillip let one of his hands mess with Barnum's hair and pull back hard as a way of getting somewhat revenge.

Phineas ran his tongue along the inside of Phillip's teeth and licked into his mouth. When he felt Phillip pull his hair, the opposite of the desired effect was achieved and Phin gave a low, soft groan into Phillip's mouth.

Phillip held back a groan, letting Barnum do as he pleased as he pulled on Barnum's hair harder than the previous time. More out of curiosity and wonder, seeing what would have happened if continued to pull onto Barnum's hair.

This time Phineas's groan was a little less held together, and he pushed Phillip back a couple stumbled steps. He kissed him more roughly and gripped tighter his hair and hip.

Phillip couldn't hold back a noise from escaping, instantly regretting giving Barnum the satisfaction of hearing him. Knowing the other liked his hair being pulled, Phillip quickly retracted his hands to his sides.

Phineas smirked and walked Phillip back another step or two. He again separated their mouths without moving back and spoke in the same low, rough voice. "Tell me, my dear Phillip, why do you insist on playing hard to get?" He purred, running his fingers gently through Phillip's hair.

Phillip felt his body shudder at Barnum's same tone of voice from before, mentally cursing at himself for letting himself be caught up in this situation. "I-I don't know what you mean..." Phillip denied being a tease, looking away from Barnum with a flushed face.

He chuckled softly and bit Phillip's lip once. He ran his thumb over Phillip’s hip suggestively, trying to coax a reaction out of him. "Really?" He breathed the word warm against Phillip's skin.

Phillip felt something new in him, another way of denying everything, you could say. Although having a mental battle with himself over the decision, he slowly tried to push Barnum's body away from his own. "M-Mr. Barnum, we both know this is bad..." He continued to look away, knowing that if he met Barnum's eyes that he would give in again.

Phineas's expression changed, and he looked thoughtful. "'Bad' being a relative term, but I suppose. What of it?" His voice was still low, almost as if he thought someone would hear them.

Phillip bit his lip, sighing as he shook his head. Did Barnum suddenly forget that he had a wife? Children that needed to be taken care of? "D-Did you forget about the fact that you're married, with children...?" He whispered, as if the thought of Barnum being with someone else hurt him on the inside.

Phineas leaned back a bit to put an inch or two of space between them. "Phillip," he said, trying to get him to look at him. He raised his eyebrows the slightest bit, looking mildly concerned, of all things.

Phillip decided to finally give himself in, hesitantly looking to Barnum with a slight pained expression that wasn't even bothered to be hid.

"Are you alright? Because if not, I'll stop right now and we can pretend none of this happened, including the other night." He seemed genuinely worried about him, speaking gently.

Phillip sighed heavily, shaking his head as he looked away once more. "I don't want to pretend like nothing is happening between us...I want this, so bad..." Phillip couldn't believe he was just admitting all his feelings. "I just don't want to ruin your life because of my feelings..."

"Ruin my life?" He smiled a little. "Remember, I was the one who initiated this," he gestured between them, "do you think I would have done so if I hadn't thought it through at least a little? Disregarding my record, of course."

Phillip paused for a moment. Barnum did make a fair point. He did start the whole endeavor, and Phillip assumed he planned on keeping it up. "I-I guess you have a point there, Mr. Barnum..." Phillip rubbed the back of his neck, still avoiding eye contact as he gave Barnum a shrug and smiled weakly.

Phineas smiled, it slowly spreading into an amused grin, and he gave a snort of laughter. "Phillip," he chuckled, "I've had my tongue down your throat for the past, well to be honest I don't know how long. But, I think we're at a point where you can call be by my name."

A light, noticeable blush formed on Phillip's face as that occurred to him, too, clearing his throat as he nodded in agreement. "R-Right..." Phillip still probably wouldn't be able to say Barnum's real name for a while, simply due to the unfamiliarity of it.

Phineas chuckled lightly again. "You're sure you're alright?” He asked again, just to be sure.

Phillip nodded his head again, finally looking back to Barnum with a slightly bigger smile. "Never better..."

He grinned and leaned back in. "Good." He pressed a much gentler kiss to Phillip's lips, still feeling the need to be cautious, as if he worried he might break the younger man like glass if he was too rough.

Phillip, although liking the calmness and care Barnum brought into the kiss, decided he wanted something a bit more like before. He slowly moved a hand to Barnum's hair, pulling it subtly as he continued to smile through their kiss.

Phineas made a small surprised and definitely pleased noise against Phillip's mouth, getting the hint and pressing himself against him, kissing back a bit rougher.

Phillip could feel his face heat up as he pulled on Barnum's hair harder, before quickly moving his hand away to, once again, be a tease and just to mess with Barnum.

He responded with a short noise and gripped Phillip's side more firmly, pressing their hips together harder. Licking into his mouth, he moved the hand in Phillip's hair down to rest dangerously low on his back.

Phillip knew his blush was worsening, not stopping Barnum however. He only smirked a bit, continuing with the act only he thought was entertaining. To him, seeing Barnum this way was amusing as well as flattering.

Phineas could feel the heat from Phillip's face, and it urged him on. He rolled his hips, grinding shallowly against him. The hand on his back strayed just barely lower, more or less at the top of Phillip's ass.

Phillip accidently let out a groan, nearly scoffing because of it as he still didn't stop Barnum. He thought of how far this would go, or when it would be time to stop and go home much to Phillip's dismay.

Phineas smirked and bit a little rougher at Phillip's lip, and slid his hand down to grip his ass. He forced their hips flush together, and gave a shaky groan as the result of the added pressure.

Phillip let out a squeak of surprise, biting back a moan and pulling away for a moment as he felt the embarrassment rise. "P-P.T...?" He whispered, biting his own lip as Barnum had done many times before.

"Yes, my dear Phillip?" He seemed to have taken to calling him that. His gaze was soft, but there was a heat, not quite a fire burning right behind it.

Phillip looked away for a moment, before shaking his head as not wanting Barnum to see he was flustered. "N-Nothing, you just surprised me..."

He smiled softly, seeing right through him. "Alright." He eyed him silently as if asking for confirmation to continue.

Phillip didn't say anything, although putting a meek smile as to give Barnum permission to keep going with his actions.

Phineas kissed him feverishly, sliding his left hand up from Phillip's hip to his shoulder and the collar of his shirt and jacket. He held the fabric in a loose fist as he gripped Phillip's ass and rutted against him.

Phillip, without any hesitation, kissed back with the same passion. He let one of his hands move to Barnum's hair, pulling from time to time quite roughly as he moved the other onto Barnum's face.

Phineas made several small, rough groans and pleasured noises, before he suddenly had to stop and lean back. "S-sorry," his voice was shaky, "I have to get this off, it's too warm." He explained, throwing off the red jacket. He knew he would likely have to pay to get it professionally cleaned as it landed on the dirty performance floor, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Phillip couldn't help but nod, hesitantly taking his off as well. "Y-Yeah, you're right... Are we too passionate?" He joked, throwing in a bit of nervous yet calm laughter.

Phin huffed a laugh. "I dunno, I don't think so. I hope not," He added with a grin, moving back to his previous position against Phillip.

"I doubt it." Phillip shrugged slightly, smiling as Barnum came closer to him.

"May I ask you something, my dear Phillip?" Phineas asked quietly as he returned his hand to Phillip's ass and bit gently at his lip every few seconds.

"I-I suppose, what is it?" He asked, trying not to smile once he heard his supposed nickname.

Keeping his voice low, Phineas brushed his lips faintly against Phillip's. "How far do you want this to go?"

Phillip flushed deep and thought on this question for a while, pretty much getting lost in his thoughts without noticing. He wasn't sure himself on what to do at this point.

To remind him of the question, in a way, Phineas leaned in to nip playfully at Phillip's upper neck and jaw.

Phillip was shaken out of his daze, looking back to Barnum. "O-Oh, um… I-I don't know…” He really didn't know, still somewhat trying to make a decision.

Phineas smiled against Phillip's neck. "That's fine." He mumbled, starting to suck another mark there.

Phillip groaned softly, quickly biting his lip as a way to shut himself up.

"You know," Phin paused his task to whisper, "we could always go somewhere you wouldn't have to do that." He smirked and licked over the new mark he'd made.

Phillip was confused, looking back to Barnum with an expression showing his emotion. "W-What do you mean by that, Mr. Barnum?" Phillip forgot to call him by his real name, not thinking much of it however.

Phineas gave him a look, but didn't comment on the mistake. "We could go somewhere you wouldn't have to keep so quiet. Did you know, that this building has a basement?" He smirked and gently bit Phillip's lip.

Phillip pulled away slightly, his confusion turning into curiosity. "Really? I had no idea." Phillip didn't really know much about the circus building, only staying outside of it until he finally became a part of the circus.

Phineas nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. I use it for practicing and planning new routines alone. Started doing so once I discovered that it blocks sound surprisingly well." His smirk was quite suggestive.

Phillip smiled and nodded. "Do you want to go now?" He asked, wondering what would it lead to if they did. Phillip knew he would soon have to get home, and Barnum would have to as well.

Phineas smiled softly, although his eyes were dark with want. He nodded and stepped back, picking up his costume jacket from the floor and gesturing for Phillip to follow him.

Phillip picked up his own jacket, continuing to smile as he took the hint and followed behind Barnum.

Phineas walked toward the curtain and slowed to mumble to Phillip. "We have to pass through whatever's left of the party on the way there, just so you know. Act normal." He pushed aside the curtain and held it for Phillip, then started for the other side of the backstage area without looking at any of the performers who still lingered.

Phillip tried to avoid eye contact with any of the other acts as he continued forward, hoping that no one would notice the change in Phillip's hair, the marks Barnum left, nor the slight flush in his face.

Anne glanced over and saw them, and looked like she was about to say something. Phineas gave her his best "not now" look, and she stopped with an expression of confusion as he reached the door to the building's basement and held it open for Phillip wordlessly.

Although feeling slight guilt in not able to speak to Anne, Phillip gave a nod of gratitude towards Barnum and headed into the unfamiliar territory of the building's basement.

Phineas closed the door behind them and locked it from the inside. The basement had a few furnishings that he had brought down himself, but otherwise appeared to be mostly for storage. The moment they were down the stairs, Phin dropped his jacket on the floor and pushed Phillip back against the nearest wall, kissing him hotly and passionately.

Phillip accidentally dropped his own jacket as he was trapped against the wall. Despite the roughness, he quickly kissed Barnum back and let his hands move around his neck.

Phineas ran his hands over every inch of Phillip that he could reach. Putting his hands at the younger man's shoulders, he moved his hands along his arms until he had stretched them above his head and pinned them against the wall. He pressed a thigh between Phillip's legs and rubbed against him, a burning lust consuming him.

Phillip was a bit surprised by Barnum's sudden lust, not complaining however as he held back a groan he knew Barnum wanted to hear. He planned on being a tease, loving how he could make Barnum feel so helpless when doing so. It was quite amusing to Phillip, he continuing to try holding back any noises.

Phineas growled and pressed a little harder, kissing him almost desperately. He continued to pin Phillip's hands above his head with one hand while the other drifted south to grip his hip and run his thumb over his hip bone, somehow gently and roughly at the same time.

Phillip chuckled softly, continuing to keep himself quiet until he felt as though he should have made noise. He nibbled on Barnum's lip for a moment, before quickly stopping as another way of playing hard to get.

Phineas made the smallest noise of complaint and paused to breath the words against Phillip's mouth, "Oh, why must you taunt me like this, dear Phillip? You're driving me mad." It almost sounded as if he were pleading, pressing his body to Phillip's and looking him in the eye with imploring yet feverish lust.

Phillip could feel a regretful shudder go through him, giving Barnum a smirk. "It's not like you're going to do anything about it, and it's fun." He admitted, although doubting Barnum would just let Phillip tease him the way he did.

"Oh I'm not, am I?" He narrowed his eyes, smirking. "You're going to get yourself into trouble if you're not careful, my dear Phillip." His tone was mischievous and low and dangerous and wanton. He moved his lower hand from Phillip's hip to toy with the waistband of the man's pants "absently".

"Now, what could you possibly mean by that, Mr. Barnum?" Phillip knew what he was doing then, saying Barnum's title just to irk him. He glanced down at the other's hand, however not stopping him yet as he looked back up.

Phineas responded with a smirk and leaned in to whisper directly into his ear. "I'll make you squeal yet, Mr. Carlyle." He returned the intentional formality and bit his ear lobe lightly and sensually.

Phillip could feel his face start to heat up, quickly biting his lip in defense to Barnum messing with his ear, hoping to not make it obvious that his ear could have possibly been one of his sensitive areas.

Phineas traced the tip of his tongue over the little indentation just below his ear, then bit at his earlobe again once. His hand was still toying with Phillip's waistband, the tip of one finger just below the edge of the fabric.

Phillip let out a small, quiet groan, able to escape despite Phillip's feeble efforts to stop it. With his face now very red with embarrassment, he continuously looked down to avoid eye contact with Barnum.

Phineas grinned triumphantly and whispered, again directly into his ear, "I told you. Hmm, I wonder what else I can get out of you." He bit Phillip's ear lobe once more before he leaned back enough to kiss him soft and hot. It was only for a moment, before he pulled back with a devious smirk. Then he slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of Phillip, staring up at him with dark, lust-filled, hooded eyes.

Phillip’s face burned and his breathing was ragged, but he was unsure how he felt towards the direction that the entire situation was taking. "P-P.T..." He started, letting his voice betray his cautionary attitude.

Phineas gazed up at him patiently and responded in innocent curiosity. "Yes, my dear Phillip?"

Phillip looked down at him, tilting his head a bit as he laughed nervously. "W-What are you doing?"

Phineas gave him a rather intense smile. "What do you think I am doing?" He purred as he ran his hands lightly up Phillip's thighs.

Phillip could have only assumed what Barnum was doing, however looking away as he bit his lip with his face heating up. "I-I really don't know..."

"What is the problem?" Phin paused to gaze up at him.

"N-Nothing!" Phillip quickly responded, looking back to Barnum.

"Are you sure?" A slight note of concern showed in his voice.

Phillip nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes, I'm fine..."

Phineas watched him thoughtfully for a moment. He studied his face, searching for something, before he got back to his feet with an almost inaudible sigh and took Phillip's face is his hands to kiss him softly. Then he pulled back just a little and smiled warmly. "It is late, and we had both best be getting home."

Phillip had nodded in agreement, figuring he needed to get home. "It is. Also, thanks for giving me these marks," Phillip let one of his hands move to his neck, speaking with sarcasm as he spoke about Barnum's previous lust. Although acting sarcastic, Phillip would have been lying if he said he hated the marks.

Phineas simply chuckled and threw him a wink as he headed back up the stairs ahead of him. Rather than bothering to change, he decided to just bring his clothes home with him. He needed to have the costume cleaned anyway.

Rolling his eyes, Phillip fixed his outfit before grabbing his jacket yet again and followed Barnum up the stairs. He couldn't help but smile to himself, wondering where their relationship would lead.

~<><><>~

A few weeks later, they had been working together seamlessly and nothing else had happened between them- although some looks had been exchanged. Phillip walked into the circus one afternoon, a plan going through his mind. He had written a letter to the Queen of England herself, in hopes of gaining more popularity. He’d received a response, wanting to tell Barnum as quickly as possible.

Phineas was reading aloud a review of the show from the newspaper, the performers making jokes about it. He sighed, stressed, as they laughed.

Phillip couldn't stop from smiling, the letter in his hand as he bounded over to Barnum and the rest of the acts. After the...incident with Barnum, he couldn't help but want to be something more than simple business partners. However, he knew that was something that couldn't be done.

As he entered, Helen looked up happily and shouted, "Phillip!!" as she ran and practically tackled him. Anne smiled warmly at him, and Phineas unknowingly had the same look for a moment, before he remembered where he was and with whom.

Phillip quickly wrapped Helen in his arms, holding a soft spot for Barnum's two daughters. He let her go, returning Anne's smile before letting go of Helen and continuing forward.

Phineas sighed and greeted Phillip with a complaint. “Have you read this?” He gestured to the newspaper in his hand, eyeing the paper in Phillip’s curiously.

Phillip handed the paper over to Barnum without answering him, excited to see what his reaction would be to the Queen wanting the circus to visit England.

Phineas read it aloud. "The master of the household has it in command of the queen to invite Mr. Phineas T. Barnum and his theatrical troupe to a reception at...Buckingham Palace?" His tone became more incredulous as he read on. He looked up at Phillip with wide, excited eyes. "Is this real?"

Phillip chuckled softly, nodding his head. "It's most certainly real." He continued to smile, finding Barnum's excitement to be absolutely riveting.

Phineas stood up excitedly as the performers around them began to look just as excited as he did. He turned to Charity, grinning. Then Anne spoke up, mainly asking Phillip, "Are we all invited?" Everyone else quieted and waited for a response as well.

Phillip paused for a moment, looking from Barnum to Anne. He thought for a moment, figuring if he couldn't have Barnum, he might as well try to move on and find someone else. Not to mention that he couldn’t stand to see such a hopeless look on Anne’s face. "I guess I'll just have to tell the Queen that either all of us go, or none of us will." He continued to smile at Anne for a bit longer, however looking to the rest soon enough.

Anne looked grateful and her smile deepened, and the performers returned to celebrating. Phineas glanced between Phillip and Anne, and the smallest involuntary look of jealousy crossed over his face, before he looked back to Charity and smiled, mentally insisting upon denying and ignoring everything he felt.

Phillip chatted with the rest of them, although speaking to Anne most of the time. He couldn't help but steal glances at Barnum, wanting to be alone together. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head and continued as if nothing was wrong. He would soon have to leave and pack up for the trip; this visit to the Queen was what Phillip believed could bring them the good publicity the circus needed.

As the group split off slowly, performers going to practice their acts and Charity preparing the girls to leave, Phineas paused. "I have to pack up some things from my office, but I'll be home soon." He promised her, and kissed each of the girls' heads. Then he ducked backstage to take the back stairs up to his office as they left.

Phillip watched as Barnum left to his office, not able to stop himself from starting to follow behind to backstage, upstairs, and to the door of Barnum's office. "Should I even...?" He mumbled, raising his hand and knocking softly. He winced, instantly regretting coming to the office. What was Phillip supposed to say? Do? Would he bring up what had happened in the past, or what could happen in the future?

The door was open a bit already, and Phineas wasn't even looking in that direction. "Come in," he called as he distractedly rearranged papers.

Phillip didn't even have a choice now, he had to go in. Clearing his throat, he opened the door further and walked in. "M-Mr. Barnum?" He mentally cursed at himself for stuttering, realizing his whole guard had been down.

Phineas looked up in genuine surprise, setting down the papers he had in his hand. "Phillip! I never did get to thank you for setting this up with the queen, I know it'll be a great opportunity for the whole show." He smiled, but his eyes betrayed much of the complicated mess of his true emotions; slight sadness and longing and the smallest hint of guilt.

Phillip only nodded his head, a small smile on his face. "You're very welcome. I had been planning it for a while now, and I finally got a response. I decided not to tell anyone, figuring it would be best in this way." Phillip scratched the back of his neck, avoiding Barnum's gaze.

Phin nodded understandingly. "Well, it was a wonderful surprise for everyone. Thank you." He looked back down at the papers on his desk, shuffling them randomly.

"Right..." Phillip stood there for a while, wanting to say more. He opened his mouth, however no words came out. With a sad and somewhat disappointed sigh, he closed it and turned on his heel to start leaving.

Phineas looked up and watched him start to leave, desperately wishing he had something else to say to keep him there. He felt fairly helpless as all he could do was stare at his back and silently scream everything he had been wanting to say to him.

Phillip suddenly stopped, not able to contain it any longer. He turned himself around, moving fast as he placed his lips onto Barnum's.

Phineas sighed, relieved, and immediately kissed him back. With one hand he clutched the very edge of Phillip's sleeve, almost as if to keep him from leaving again.

Phillip smiled a bit, pulling away slightly. "I had to do that," he whispered. "I didn't know if we would ever..." He trailed off, unsure what to say about their last interaction like this.

Phin nodded and returned the small smile, understanding perfectly. He remained cautious, just in case, but he was relieved and reassured and almost grateful.

Although knowing he should have pulled away by then, Phillip ended up leaning in to kiss Barnum once more, sweet and loving.

Phineas kissed back gently and deeply, it too being much sweeter than anything else they had shared. He flushed a little at the implications of that, but decided that he could worry about that later.

Phillip chuckled lightly, deciding to have a little fun as he smirked and quickly pulled away. Without speaking, he turned and started to make his way out of the office, going to leave Barnum with only a small kiss.

Phineas gave a tiny, almost inaudible noise of protest, blinked and floundered a moment, not being able to come up with anything useful to say. He instead fixed his expression in a small pout of silent complaint, although he watched Phillip with a fond gaze. "Thank you again, Mr. Carlyle." He mumbled and smiled softly. He shook his head looking back to his desk and attempting to focus back on his task.

Phillip only rolled his eyes, continuing out of the office and out of the circus building to start on packing and telling his parents of his upcoming trip, his parents’ opinions leaving him nervous on the inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters posted in two nights is literally my best record. I know I won't keep this pace up, so enjoy it while it lasts, y'all! Thank you so much for reading this far, kudos and comments still very welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen & Arguments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the short chapter this time, but I promise y'all it's worth it! The next chapter is actual real smut, not chapter-two-false-advertising-smut, and since I couldn't exactly cut that in half and spread it between two chapters, it's a short chapter this time. But it will be worth the wait!!

This was it; they were finally at the palace and about to enter the room to meet the Queen herself. Phillip stood up front, a bit close to Barnum as he hid his nerves. He watched as the heavy doors were opened, as well as how all eyes were suddenly on them. He walked forward, looking up to Barnum before hesitantly looking to the Queen. 

Phineas took a small, calming breath to steady himself and nodded slightly, reassuringly, to Phillip without looking at him as they walked forward.

Queen Victoria sat and watched as the performers approached, her calm composure never changing. Phillip eventually stopped, giving her a polite bow in hopes of not offending anyone.

Phineas kept a greatly forced air of calm and confidence, acting as if he belonged there and always had. He smiled and gave a small bow.

Phillip glanced at Barnum before forcing his eyes back up to Victoria. "It's an honor to meet you, your Highness." Victoria gave a small nod. "The honor is all mine," with a pause, she looked down with her eyes on Tom Thumb. "You're even smaller than I imagined." Tom only smiled at Victoria, shaking his head. "You're not exactly reaching the top shelf yourself, sweetheart." Most of the room gasped and whispered.

Phineas paled at Tom's response and swallowed hard in fear, panicking that that had ruined their one chance and that they were about to be kicked out. Phineas froze, in confusion and surprise, when Victoria started to laugh. It took a minute before he forced down his nerves enough to laugh too, the sound coming out relieved but still tentative.

Phillip started to laugh, too, and he couldn't help but feel most of his worries wash away, the sound of Barnum's laugh calming him greatly. "Oh, you are all just wonderful!" Victoria stood from her throne.

Phineas took a deep breath, feeling a great deal more at ease now. He smiled at the queen. "Thank you, your majesty."

"You are very welcome." She gave Barnum a warm smile, as well as Phillip and the rest of the circus. "Please, enjoy yourself." She motioned around her, people beginning to chat and drinks were served. Phillip let out a small sigh, grabbing a glass of champagne and heading to the wall of the room.

Phineas followed, still wringing his hands and standing stiff and tense, obviously just barely keeping his nerves under control. He grabbed a champagne flute and downed it nearly all in one go.

Phillip kept his eyes low, not wanting to draw much attention to himself as he drank his glass silently. Although it seemed like so long ago, he couldn't help but think about Barnum's passion for him. Was that only just a fling? Would it grow? Phillip was deep in his thoughts, pondering on any type of answer.

Phineas was on his second champagne flute and he stood next to Phillip, still feeling out of place. He kept glancing down at him, wishing that he could feel and look so at ease in such a setting. As he took another sip, one of the queen's people announced another arrival.

Phillip sighed heavily, shaking his head as he pulled himself out of his own thoughts. "Wait, what's happening?" Hearing someone else would be coming, he looked over to the door.

"Ms. Jenny Lind," the man called out, and she entered. Phineas couldn't help but stare, intrigued and awed. He hadn't the slightest idea who she was, but she was obviously a big deal. He watched her bow regally to the queen, and leaned down to Phillip. "Who is that?"

Phillip, although not too impressed, looked from Jenny to Barnum. "She's the most famous opera singer in all of Europe...how’ve you not heard of her?" He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, seeing the way Barnum looked at her in a way he never looked at him.

Phineas paused another minute, staring in her direction. "Come on," he began, setting aside his glass and nudging Phillip forward.

Phillip was a bit confused. “What, why?”. However he let the other lead, hoping to not meet Jenny.

Unfortunately for Phillip, Phineas was heading straight toward Jenny. "You're going to introduce me." He informed him firmly.

‘Why should I?’ Was the jealousy-induced answer Phillip wanted to give, but he refrained. “But- I don't- why?" He stuttered instead as Barnum continued forward to Jenny.

He leaned the slightest bit closer. "Because I would like you to. Please?" He didn't stop or slow their path toward Jenny in the slightest.

Phillip didn't answer, accidentally showing how much he disliked having to do the task. With a huff, he moved faster than Barnum all the way up to Jenny.

Phineas drew his eyebrows together in an unreadable expression for a moment, the look directed at Phillip. Then he quickly hid it away with a shake of his head and smiled brightly at Jenny as she turned to face them.

Phillip cleared his throat, putting on a fake smile as he began to introduce himself as well as Barnum. "Ms. Lind, my name is Phillip Carlyle, this is P.T Barnum." He motioned to Barnum, masking his disdain.

Phineas bowed his head to her in greeting, pleased to see her return his smile. "You must be the American." She said, and Phin nodded in confirmation. "If you've heard of me, that must mean I'm doing something right." He smirked pridefully, and Jenny narrowed her eyes the slightest bit, her smile never wavering. "That, or something very wrong." The exchange was almost flirting; it was right on the edge of friendly, threatening to tip over.

Phillip couldn't help but feel anger with a mix of hurt, seeing the two flirt so effortlessly. Giving a look to Barnum he knew would most likely go unnoticed, he backed away and went back to his position against the wall. He sighed sadly, watching Barnum with a bit of longing.

Phineas hardly noticed that Phillip had left them alone, already too wrapped up in their conversation. It wasn't until later, when he had come to an agreement with Jenny, that he began to look around in an attempt to locate his business partner.

~<><><>~

Phillip eventually grew tired of watching Barnum speak with Jenny, walking out of the room and slamming the door. He grumbled to himself, his arms folded over his chest as he walked the hall alone.

When Phineas couldn't locate Phillip, he asked the performers if they had seen him. No one had, until WD mentioned that he thought he saw Phillip slip out the door. Phineas was confused as to why he would’ve left without a word to him. He stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. "Phillip?"

Phillip heard his name being called, not bothering to answer back as he just slid down the hallway wall. He pouted to himself, looking down as he continued to mutter curses to himself.

Phineas looked around, becoming a bit worried. "Phillip?" He called again, his voice betraying his concern. He started forward, very slowly, down the hall, no idea at all where Phillip could've gone and praying that he wouldn't get lost trying to find him.

Phillip nearly groaned out loud in annoyance, looking over in the direction where someone had been calling for him. "What do you want?" He snapped back, keeping his arms crossed.

Phineas found him by the sound of his voice. "What do you mean what do I want? You left without a word! What happened?" He sounded genuinely clueless.

Phillip scoffed, looking away. "It's nothing, I'm fine." It was clear Phillip wasn't fine, however he denied being upset.

Phineas paused, slightly annoyed, but mostly curious and a bit worried. "What's the matter with you tonight? You're acting strangely. And don't try to tell me it's nothing, we both know you're not good enough a liar for that."

Phillip snapped his head back to Barnum, frowning even more than he had been. "Can't you just leave me alone? I said I was fine..." He took to his feet, unable to maintain eye contact as he lied through his teeth.

Phineas scowled and didn't respond for a moment. "What did I do?" He sounded much more frustrated now, his tone almost pleading underneath. "What did I do to upset you?"

"Why don't you ask Ms. Lind?" Phillip snapped, beginning to walk away as he gave Barnum the hint as to why he had been acting different.

Phineas opened his mouth immediately to retort, but thought better of it. He set his jaw, eyes hardening. He had no idea why that jab and tone had hurt so much, but that hurt translated into anger. He scowled silently for a long moment, not taking his eyes from Phillip. "You're acting like a child. And you have absolutely no reason to be." He paused, then opened his mouth again to say something else. He gave up on that, too. He didn't speak again for another long moment. "Don't get lost." He cautioned icily and turned away, beginning to head rather briskly back toward the gathering. He had wanted to say more, but he had thought it wiser to leave before his hurt-turned-anger caused him to say or do something he'd later regret.

Ouch. Although Barnum hadn't said much, Phillip couldn't help but feel extreme hurt and pain from his words. He was raised to be mature and act superior to others whom acted like children. And for that comment to be coming from P.T. Barnum of all people was really saying something. He thought for a moment, realizing how many times his parents would judge or beat on him for any mistake he made. Feeling tears form in his eyes, with his heart heavy, Phillip continued forward and personally didn't care whether or not he got lost. It didn't seem like anyone, including Barnum, would have cared if he did.

~<><><>~

Phineas returned to the main room and grabbed another champagne flute on his way in, downing this one in two swallows. He kept to the edge of the room, still angry and reluctant to mingle with the high class in such a state. As the night wore on, he could feel the anger start to fade and was replaced with guilt.

Phillip finally stopped, realizing he had in fact gotten lost. With an annoyed, shaky sigh, he wiped a few tears and tried to finally make his way back to the main room in which the party was still going on.

Apparently Lettie had seen Phineas down several, or possibly several dozen, glasses of champagne at this point, because she eventually stopped him from taking another and gently suggested he step outside and let the cool air clear his mind. Phineas nodded and agreed, stepping back into the hall and making his way toward the nearest balcony, a bit sluggish.

Although trying to make his way back to the main room, Phillip ended up outside on the balcony. He tensed up as he opened the door, seeing Barnum already outside.

Phineas was leaning heavily against the balcony railing tiredly. He had his head in his hand, lost deep in his thoughts.

Although still feeling very hurt from before, Phillip still cared for Barnum very much. He hesitantly walked closer to him, wiping any tears that he might've missed. "M-Mr. Barnum, are you alright...?" He asked with a somewhat cracked tone, his voice laced with a bit of worry as well.

Phineas mumbled something, slumping a little more. He decided it would be better to just lower himself to the ground.

"M-Mr. Barnum?" Phillip placed a hand on Barnum's shoulder, as if to help with his balance and just in general.

Phineas half-heartedly shrugged that shoulder and mumbled the same thing again, more coherently this time. "Don' call me that. Sounds weird. We're s’posed to be friends. More ‘n that," He mumbled something else a bit too quietly to hear, and between the alcohol and the exhaustion, his speech was slow and simple.

"O-Oh, sorry... It just seemed like..." Phillip trailed off, however shaking his head and keeping a hold on Barnum. He was about to go into some detail about earlier, but figured that this moment wouldn't be the best.

Phineas's chin dropped against his chest. Some small part of his brain was positively dying of embarrassment at this moment, that Phillip should see him like this, and at Buckingham palace, no less. That small part of his brain was praying to the entire universe that nobody else saw him like this. "Should go...back to the..." In his current state, he couldn't remember the word hotel. "The place," he waved his hand absently, perhaps gesturing to the unspoken word which he couldn’t remember, hanging in the air. This embarrassed him further, and his face burnt like a brand.

Phillip sighed heavily, seeing the state Barnum was in. He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. "M-Mr. Barnu- P.T., you are in no shape to even be at this palace... We should get back to where we will be staying..."

Phineas nodded vaguely and started to haul himself off the ground using the balcony railing. When he had gotten himself back on his feet, he was able to act sober surprisingly well, even surprising to himself, for how intoxicated he was.

Phillip made sure to stay close to Barnum, just in case he was needed. "H-Hey," he started off as they walked. "I-I um...want to apologize, I guess..." Even though Barnum hurt him, Phillip knew he was at fault as well.

Phineas glanced at him in mild surprise. He blinked, studying him for a moment, before his lowered inhibitions spoke for him. "Jenny's not comp...comptetition for you. I don't feel for her like tha’." He informed him matter-of-factly.

Phillip looked away, shaking his head. "I-I know...I should have known... And when you called me a child, I-I just..." Feeling himself become hurt again, he couldn't speak as he continued on.

"You're more mature th’n that. 'Why don't you ask Ms. Lind'," he quoted and shook his head a bit. "I was just tryin’ to make you see, an’ stop you..." He stared down at nothing in particular and mumbled barely audibly, "I don’t like fighting with you."

Phillip couldn’t understand what Barnum was trying to say, but he heard the last sentence. He quieted for a moment. "P.T, just shut up and let me call a carriage for us..." He muttered, helping Barnum outside of the palace.

Phineas tried to stand as tall and normally as possible, hoping it was enough to make him look more or less sober. He stepped very carefully to avoid stumbling, and tried to keep himself looking alert.

Phillip called a carriage, helping Barnum inside and getting in himself. He couldn't help but think back to the time when he became intoxicated, how this is what Barnum had to do with him.

Phineas of course thought of the same incident. As his mind slowly began to clear from the effect of the cool night air and he tried to force himself to sober up, hurt and guilt crept back in. He kept his eyes on his hands as he fidgeted with them in his lap.

Phillip only stared out the window, glancing over to Barnum every now and then only to check on him.

Phineas sighed softly and loosened and undid his tie, then he put his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, not sleeping, but thinking.

Phillip finally couldn't take his eyes off Barnum, believing he was asleep. He sighed, speaking aloud to himself. "Why do I love you so much…? Too much. It's like I can't get you out of my head…”

Phineas didn't react outwardly, but he felt his heart skip a beat and his breath caught in his throat. He gulped, as subtle as he could, and held his breath, waiting to see if Phillip would say anything more.

Phillip continued on speaking as if he thought Barnum was asleep. "I mean, honestly…you're married, with children whom adore you… I have parents who pretty much expect me to do everything they say…everything about my compassion for you goes against everything they believe in. If they ever found out…" He trailed off for a moment before continuing. "But it's not like anything will ever happen with you… You most likely regret the incident that happened months ago, something I don't… Man, you're a fantastic kisser…" He laughed quietly, sadly.

Phineas had to force himself not to move or react, although he was barely managing; his first two fingers twitched. He still didn't dare breathe.

Phillip sighed, looking down to his lap. "I really shouldn't care whether or not you like someone else… I can't believe I acted so foolishly, I really am just a child…" His hands balled into fists, shaking his head.

Phineas felt his heart break, hearing that. "Fuck," he muttered, the language rather uncharacteristic for him. He opened his eyes and yanked the curtain over the window, then he turned, grabbed Phillip's face and kissed him hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys again for continuing to read this, and a shoutout to Bluelover2001 and Ashleigh for their amazing kind words in the comments! Merci beaucoup <3!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Real Smut This Time (I promise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo…about that long and unannounced hiatus. ':D
> 
> The simplest explanation is that I overestimated myself. I got really busy with school and other things and actually kind of forgot about this for a while? Also, it took me an unacceptably long time to write this because I've never written actual smut like this before and I kept second-guessing my abilities. 
> 
> But we're back now! I'm so sorry for going dark on y'all, but I'm back! I'm back, I'm gay and I'm back!

Phillip's eyes widened, feeling Barnum's lips on his own. With his face heating up, he began to kiss him back without a second thought.

Although he didn't say the words, the kiss spoke Phin’s apology for him. It was tender, and at the same time heated. He moved to sit with one leg on the seat between them and the other still on the floor of the carriage, so that he could kiss him more directly.

Phillip understood the kiss, what it meant. And he forgave Barnum, a small smile forming on his face as he let his arms roam to Barnum's neck, both hands tangled his hair.

Phineas made a small, appreciative noise and put a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. The other he kept gently against the side of Phillip's face.

Phillip let out a small groan, having no regrets however as he gave a few tugs to Barnum's hair and knew he would enjoy it.

Phineas groaned softly and moved the smallest bit closer to him on the seat. He nibbled at Phillip's lip and stroked his cheek gently with the thumb of the hand against his face. The action was equally wanton and reverent.

Phillip chuckled lightly, beginning to recall the last time the two were in a situation as such. He decided to keep his mouth shut to simply frustrate Barnum, something he found amusing.

Phineas actually whined, shamelessly. He moved close enough to push him back into the corner of the seat and the carriage wall, kneeling on the seat in front of him.

Phillip couldn't help but smirk as he heard Barnum whine, only trying to tease the other. Although not letting him in, Phillip continued to mess with Barnum's hair.

Phineas hummed, the sound actually coming out as just a quieter whine, and he moved his hand down from Phillip's face to his neck, running his thumb along Phillip's jaw from his chin up to by his ear.

Phillip blushed lightly as he felt the soft touch. Figuring it was time to give in, he parted his lips for the other to finally please him.

Phineas slowly moved his tongue along Phillip's, hot and deliberate. Every movement he made was tender and sweet, with a burning, heated desire underneath, both perfectly balanced.

Phillip couldn't hold back a groan as his blush began to worsen. He moved his hands from Barnum's hair to just around his body, holding him tightly.

Phineas shifted forward a bit and moved his hand from the back of Phillip's neck down to his hip. He pulled him forward and onto his lap, keeping that hand at his waist and still stroking the thumb of his other over Phillip's jaw.

Phillip nearly let out a squeak of surprise as he was moved into Barnum’s lap, only giving a pleased noise as he leaned in closer.

Phineas placed his lower hand against the small of Phillip's back and held him close to him, surfacing for air for a moment and keeping his lips close enough to brush against Phillip's.

"I've been wanting to do that again for so long..." Phillip mumbled against Barnum's lips, moving a hand slowly up to the other's hair as he leaned against him.

Phineas just smiled softly and leaned his forehead against Phillip's, still brushing their lips. He moved to mouth at the skin just below and behind Phillip's ear.

Phillip quickly bit his lip, this time going to hide any noises as his grip on Barnum's hair tightened.

Phineas's breath hitched, and he bit gently at Phillip's ear lobe, his warm breath ghosting over the other's ear and neck.

"P-P.T..." Phillip let Barnum's real name slip out, his ear being a sensitive area as well as his neck.

Phineas leaned up a bit and whispered low into Phillip's ear. "Once we arrive at the hotel, might you join me at my room?"

Phillip smiled slightly and nodded his head. "I-I would love to..."

Phineas smiled and leaned back to see Phillip's face again. With almost uncannily perfect timing, almost as if he knew it was about to happen, the carriage lurched to a stop as he nodded.

Phillip pulled away from Barnum, opening the door and helping him outside just in case he was still unbalanced.

Phineas tried his best to keep his balance, and ended up mostly successful- he had tripped once on the stairs up to the hotel's second floor, where their rooms were. He led Phillip to his room, only tripping once more on the way there. Then he let them in.

~<><><>~

Phillip helped Barnum when he needed it, following him to his room. He walked in, looking over to Barnum with a smile. "So..." He let himself trail off.

Phineas smiled fondly and stepped forward to put his hands at Phillip's waist, just brushing their lips.

Phillip quickly leaned forward to connect their lips, feeling as though he was being teased as he moved his hands up to Barnum's face.

Phineas had decided that he was going to give Phillip a little taste of his own medicine. His hands rested lightly on the other's sides and he kissed him very gently, hardly touching him at all, in the whole scheme of things.

Phillip let out a noise of annoyance, deciding to move his lips down to Barnum's neck. "So, you want to be like that, huh?"

"What ever do you mean, my dear Phillip?" He asked, his tone dripping with false innocence thinly veiling smugness.

Phillip only smirked on Barnum's neck, biting down roughly without warning, moving one of his hands to Barnum's hair and pulling hard as his other moved up and down Barnum's waist.

Phineas gasped, tilting his head back a little. "Ah..." His breathing hitched and he bit his lip, biting back another sound. He held Phillip's sides more firmly, his hands drifting a bit lower to his hips.

Phillip let out a small hum, peppering kisses and biting from time to time as he continued to pull on Barnum's hair.

Phineas discovered the hard way that he was apparently nowhere near as skilled as Phillip at keeping quiet and aloof. Every so often a small groan or gasp or whine would slip out, and after a bit he lessened his efforts, beginning to give up on silence. He tightened his grip on Phillip's hips, his finger tips digging in just a bit.

Phillip smiled, feeling the press of Barnum’s fingers, and kissed up his neck to nibble on his ear.

Phineas, almost having given up on keeping quiet completely, let out a low, rough groan. "P-Phillip..." He tilted his head back a bit more to give the other better access.

Phillip smirked, having Barnum right where he wanted him. He quickly pulled away from Barnum's ear, continuing to smirk as he stared up at him.

Phineas gazed down at him with completely lust-blown, dark eyes, and an expression that could kill. Although he was taller and stronger and could have absolute control if he had wanted, he was intrigued as to what the playwright might do if given the upper hand. His fingers twitched, at the younger's hips, and he pulled Phillip just the slightest bit closer against him.

Phillip was having too much fun annoying and teasing Barnum to the point where he knew he would take over, brushing his lips over the other's and pulling away again.

"You're just determined to drive me insane, aren't you?" Phin growled, pulling him back and holding him there before he could even move away.

Phillip only chuckled softly, staring into Barnum's eyes with the same lust. "I just love to leave you helpless, and you can't do a thing about it." Phillip knew exactly what he was doing by challenging Barnum.

Phineas's smirk was as dark as it had ever been. "Oh, can't I? I think just for that, I will have to." He walked Phillip back a couple of steps until the back of his knees hit the edge of the hotel bed. Phin pushed him rather roughly back on it, then stood before him, towering over him like a god, with definite plans to make good use of the power Phillip had given him.

Phillip's face started to heat up, contemplating whether or not giving Barnum so much power was a good idea. However nervous, Phillip continued to smirk up at Barnum as if he still had something over him.

Phineas returned the lustful smirk for only a moment, before he kneeled on the edge of the bed between Phillip's knees. He leaned forward with his hands on the mattress on either side of Phillip's head, directly over him, the tips of their noses almost touching.

Phillip stared up at Barnum, trying to keep his breath steady and calm. "W-What are you going to do now, genius?" Phillip asked sarcastically, mentally cursing himself for stuttering. 

Phineas tilted his head to the side a little and smirked. "Hmm. Maybe the question you should be asking is what I'm going to do first." He grinned deviously and bit Phillip's bottom lip, scraping his teeth lightly on it as he pulled back just a little, blatantly teasing him.

Phillip whined in an admittedly immature way. He hated (Sure you do, Phillip-) how Barnum could make him feel like this, wanting to show Barnum who was boss. However, it seemed the one in charge was the stronger man.

Phineas could tell that Phillip had finally begun to surrender to him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to take it for granted. Using his position to his advantage- he leaned over him on the bed, his own legs between the younger's knees -he pushed Phillip's legs apart with his own knees and then, much slower, spread Phillip's arms out to the sides of his head using his hands. He smirked, enjoying seeing the man completely laid out before him. Then he pressed his hips down on Phillip's, remaining still and holding the pressure for the moment as a soft hiss escaped his own lips.

"P-P.T., you must be so proud of yourself, huh?" Phillip’s voice shook as he just barely managed to hold back a groan, closing his eyes and tilting his head back away from Barnum. He had to force himself not to smile, not wanting to show Barnum he was enjoying this, as much as he had been and wanted to. Phillip only smirked, trying to prove Barnum wrong, that he was still in control.

Phin shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance. "And why's that, dear Phillip?" He purred, directly into Phillip's ear, as he started to mouth at his neck and just under his jaw. He rolled his hips once, shallowly, against Phillip's.

Phillip felt a shudder go down his spine, unable to stop himself from groaning out. He opened his eyes, forcing them over to Barnum. "Y-You think you're all high and mighty..."

He chuckled rather darkly, meeting Phillip's eyes. "Am I not? I certainly seem to be in this situation." He continued in the same low, seductive purr, rolling his hips very slowly against Phillip's.

"U-Uh…~" Phillip ground out, shaking his head a bit, insistent of his point, as it had become too much to try to speak.

Phin hummed, his tone one of interested amusement, although still low. It got lower and rougher with his next words. "You may have to convince me of that, first…~" He rocked his hips once, more forcefully than he had been, his hands pinning Phillip's wrists to the mattress.

Phillip gasped out, wondering if he should just submit or not, figuring there was probably no way of him becoming strong enough to take dominance back any time soon. He let out a breathy, whiny huff, biting his lip.

"Just surrender, Phillip.~" Phineas nearly growled, his tone of voice gravelly and seductive. "What reason do you have not to?" He took advantage of Phillip having turned his head away, whisper-growling almost directly into his ear. "We both know you want this just as much as I do." He rolled Phillip's ear lobe between his teeth, biting a little harder than he normally would, then proceeded to start to suck a light mark high on his neck.

Phillip's face instantly turned a darker shade of red as Barnum bit his ear, and he groaned louder than he previously had. He soon realized there was nothing to stop him from surrendering to Barnum. Phillip didn't say anything, he didn't need to. He let out a strangled moan and gave in.

Phin grinned triumphantly at seemingly having finally won Phillip over and found his weakness. He repeated the action, biting the edge of his ear lobe as he ground down on him.

"P-P.T…~" Phillip groaned once more as his hands balled into fists. Barnum had definitely found one of his weak spots, and the flush of his face was enough to confirm it to the other.

Phineas gave a small, breathless noise as he explored this further, nipping at the outer edge of his ear. Every sound that Phillip made stole Phin's breath and sent a rush of heat straight down-- and he knew Phillip knew it, too.

Phillip's breath hitched as Barnum continued on with his antics, quickly biting his lip as a precaution to not be at all loud.

Phineas breathed warm and uneven against Phillip's neck and ear as he nipped around and on his ear, searching for another possible sensitive spot as he rutted against him. He gave a short, soft, shaky near-whine.

"A-Ah…~" Phillip's attempts to keep quiet were all for naught as Barnum bit an extra sensitive spot on his ear, his fists balling up even tighter.

Phin paused, noticing, and bit the spot again, a little more attentively this time. He slid one knee along the inside of Phillip's thigh, teasingly.  
Phillip, in an attempt at retaliation, nudged Barnum with his leg lightly, jokingly, as if to punish him for his teasing. He laughed breathlessly, looking over to him.

Phineas looked so far gone, seemingly just keeping himself together. He wanted so badly to take him down, fast and hot, but was restraining himself, whether for Phillip's sake or his own he didn't know. He looked Phillip in the eye, the expression he gave him being something he doubted anyone had ever seen from him, including Charity. He leaned back down to Phillip's ear again to whisper, "I want you, Phillip…~" As he again slid his leg along Phillip's inner thigh, up dangerously high, then back down again.

Phillip could feel his body tense up, but quickly relax. He wanted Barnum as well, possibly as bad as Barnum wanted him. Instead of saying the same thing, Phillip only smirked. "I-Is that so? W-Why don't you prove it?" Phillip gave Barnum the challenge with ease, curious as to what he could have had planned.

Phineas accepted the challenge wordlessly and a bit hastily, suddenly leaning down to kiss him roughly, and pulling back after only a second. He pushed himself up off the bed and walked over to the closed door, flipping the lock. Then he turned back to Phillip, an almost predatory look in his eye as he stalked back toward him on the bed.

As Barnum stood, Phillip sat up and watched him make his way back over to him. He only continued to smirk, as if to seem like he was dominant in everything.

Once Phineas was back to the bed, he pushed Phillip up on it by his shoulders, so that he was partially propped up on the pillows. Then he kneeled over him, straddling his thighs, and tilted Phillip’s face up towards his own with one finger under his chin. He gazed down at him, as if deciding what he was going to do first, then made a silent decision. He started unbuttoning Phillip's shirt from the top down, slowly, one button at a time.

Phillip couldn't help but blush lightly, this being his first time in a situation such as this. He let Barnum unbutton his shirt however, although nervous he himself would mess something up.

Phin gently slid the shirt off of Phillip's shoulders once it was all the way unbuttoned, tossing it to the floor. "Beautiful..." He murmured as he ran his hands up and over the smaller man's shoulders, almost reverently.

Phillip's blush started to worsen as he looked away and shook his head. "I-I'm not beautiful, Mr. Barnum..." He muttered, forgetting to correct himself.

"Shh." He commanded shortly, placing one finger over Phillip's lips, without feeling the need to elaborate. He sat straddling his thighs, and leaned forward to kiss him, slow and dirty, as he ran his hands down Phillip's chest to his belt buckle.

Phillip let out a soft groan, continuing to let Barnum do as he pleased and letting his own arms move around him.

As he kissed him, Phin undid Phillip's belt and then his pants, both agonizingly slowly, teasing the fabric of his waistband between his fingers. He ran two of his fingers just inside the very top edge of Phillip's pants.

Phillip's grip tightened around Barnum, and he made an impatient and almost warning noise in response to the other’s infuriating pace.

Phin pulled away as he had completely undid the other's pants and outwardly ignored the warning, having to consciously keep from whining, himself. He pushed Phillip's shoulders down so that he was laying down a little more, and kneeled over his abdomen. "Arch. I want these off of you, now." He instructed, not giving Phillip any room to argue. He moved so that he was sitting on his knees next to Phillip rather than over him, and started to strip, himself.

Phillip, in a last ditch effort at defiance, smirked and folded his arms over his bare chest. "And what if I decide not to give in to you?" 

Phin, with only his shirt off, stared him down, just daring him to disobey. "I'll make you regret it, of course." His voice was very low and definitely dangerous. "You should know what I'm capable of by now, dear Phillip." The look in his eye was almost feral, and he raked his eyes over Phillip's body before he looked back up to meet his gaze.

Phillip swallowed hard, feeling almost shameful for how much he wanted that to happen. He did as Barnum had instructed, still a bit nervous but equally as anxious for this to happen.

As soon as Phineas was back on him, Phillip was kissing him back. This time, he lay on top of Phillip between his legs rather than straddling him, and everything felt a lot more real and current. By now his mind had sobered up considerably, and he had no doubt that this was what he wanted. And, judging by the way Phillip had given in to him and was now participating just as actively, kissing him back feverishly and holding his body close, Phillip wanted the same. Phineas moved from kissing Phillip to mouth along his jaw and neck, and then very slowly proceeded to make his way down Phillip's body, pressing open-mouthed kisses across his chest and abdomen.

Phillip's face burned bright red, but he didn't dare stop Barnum. He dropped one hand to twist the top sheet into his fist as his and Barnum’s ragged breathing were the only sounds in the room.

Phineas had reached Phillip’s hip with his lowering kisses, and he stopped there, looking up with dark eyes at Phillip. They made eye contact and he watched Phillip bite his lip, and Phin reached over the side of the bed into his bag and grabbed a small jar. He smiled a little as he saw Phillip's face go even redder once he caught sight of it. Then, much less slowly, he kissed his way back up the other’s body until they were face to face again.

Looking into Barnum’s fiery yet reassuring gaze above him, Phillip gave the slightest hint of a nod. There was a pause, then he felt Barnum’s hand travel south until a warm, slick finger pressed up against his entrance. Phillip’s breath caught in his throat and he closed his eyes as he felt Barnum push the finger in. He winced, unsure of the initial burn of it, but as Barnum let him adjust for a moment and then began to move his finger inside him he gave a soft moan.

Phineas wasn’t even entirely sure he would last like this, with what it did to him every time Phillip made a sound. It took all of his willpower to keep a slow pace and let Phillip adjust to everything, seeing as more than anything Phin wanted to rush the preparation and to be inside Phillip already. He leaned down to suck a mark on Phillip's neck, lower and less noticeable this time, as he slowly added another finger.

Phillip moaned aloud this time, still quiet, but it was noticeably more invested. His hand tightened in the sheets and the other flew up to grip Barnum’s bicep as he continued to bite down on his lip. The burn he had felt to begin with was all but gone now replaced with a tight, full feeling that Phillip was very quickly growing to love. However, he knew it would be nothing compared to… He shuddered in anticipation, giving another quiet moan-like sound.

Phineas wanted to make absolutely sure that he wouldn't hurt Phillip, so he removed his fingers for a moment to get more lube, and this time pushed three fingers into him. Phillip's response couldn't have been more torturous to Phin; he jerked and his mouth fell open a little.

“Oh, god, P-P.T…~” Phillip managed after a moment. He started, in a whine, “P-please-”

“Soon.” Phin cut him off, assuring him. He wouldn’t enter him until he could be sure that Phillip wouldn’t be hurt. His own voice shook, enough that he was sure Phillip could tell, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to take it after a few minutes more.

Phillip whimpered, trying to push down on Barnum’s fingers inside him. He was impatient and needy and ready for him to enter him.

Phineas gave in, at that. After all, who was he to deny Phillip what be was wordlessly begging him for? With an animalistic growl, he removed his fingers from the younger’s entrance and leaned over him, lining himself up in preparation. He paused for a split second to admire, with a small smirk, the whimpering, pleading mess that Phillip had become beneath him, and he couldn’t wait to be inside him. He leaned down to whisper in Phillip’s ear a warning as he slowly pushed into him.

Phillip’s mouth fell open wide and he screwed his eyes up tight, arching up off the bed as he froze in place for a moment. The tight strain of Barnum’s cock inside him was so much more intense than he could have ever imagined, and he had to sit there unmoving for a moment before he could breathe again, having regained control over himself. He gasped out once he could, although the sound came out partially as a high-pitched moan as well.

Phineas let out a low, hissing groan as he slid in to Phillip. He, too, took advantage of the pause once he had slid in to get his need under control. “You alright?” He asked for confirmation, while actually asking permission to move. Phin saw the wordless nod Phillip gave, breath hissing out through his teeth as he slowly moved back. 

“Fuck, please, P.T.,” Phillip suddenly gasped out, outright begging him, sounding obviously desperate.

Phin groaned as his control snapped like an over-strained rubber band and he shoved back into Phillip. He began to set a rough pace, not too fast, but fast enough to have both of them panting and Phillip a moaning wreck under him. As Phineas adjusted his angle just a bit, Phillip cursed loudly. He quickly put a hand over the younger man’s mouth to silence him, startling him out of his pleasured haze.

Phillip regarded him with a questioning look, but he suddenly understood when Barnum leaned in and shushed him softly. He had forgotten where they were and what was going on, and so had forgotten that they needed to be quiet. What he would do if one of the performers or other tenants of the hotel came knocking on the door after hearing what they were doing, he didn’t know, but he was sure that it would not turn out well. Phillip nodded silently to Barnum in understanding.

With that out of the way, Phineas was free to focus on more important things, such as the heat quickly building low in his stomach. He moaned out, “P-Phil, you’re so good…I’m gonna…”

“Ah!~” The noise was Phillip’s agreement, since he was having trouble forming coherent words at the moment. He wrapped his legs around Barnum’s hips and tried to press him closer, panting. Phil felt Barnum’s hand wrap around his length, pumping him so that they would climax together. The sensation of everything at once was nearly overwhelming as he began to see stars; everything was pleasure and pressure and heat and Barnum. “P-P.T.!~” he gasped as he reached the edge and stars exploded behind his eyes with his climax. He arched, throwing his head back into the pillows and shuddered through the orgasm.

Phineas came at almost the same moment, shuddering and his hips jerking as he exploded, buried to the hilt inside Phillip. He moaned the younger man’s name and panted as he slowly came down from his high.

For a moment they both lay there, gasping for breath with their foreheads pressed together. Phillip relaxed his hold on Barnum as he rolled off of him, and they lay side by side in silence.

After catching his breath, Phineas rolled onto his side to face Phillip. He thought distantly that the young man looked especially beautiful like this; hair a little mussed, a small and contented smile on his face. Phin smiled back as Phillip turned his head and smile softly and sleepily at him. He pulled the covers up over them wordlessly and took the younger man’s hand in his as they both drifted off, curled up next to each other and both having temporarily forgotten about the judgmental outside world or prior commitments that should be keeping them apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading, I hope you enjoyed and that this doesn't suck, kudos and comments (aka my motivation) always welcome!


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